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Renewing My Mind

Lately, I have been caught up in consuming a lot of nonsense- celebrity news, twitter updates, instagram posts. I have been absorbed in knowing the latest about people who are so far removed from me they will never know I exist. This has made me unproductive and not feeling great about myself, as if I was a “slave” to my phone and newsfeed.

I decided I want to change this, before I get too consumed and my grades go down the drain. I have been reflecting on Romans 12:2 and Ephesians 4:22

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

-Romans 12:2

22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

-Ephesians 4:22

I also have been reading this article by John Piper on how to “renew my mind.” Here are some of my favorite bits from the article:

“What does the Spirit do to “transform” us into the image of the God-exalting Son of God? He enables us to “behold the glory of the Lord.” This is how the mind is renewed — by steadfastly gazing at the glories of Christ for what they really are.

But to enable us to do that, the Spirit must do a double work. He must work in two directions: from the outside in and from the inside out. He must work from the outside in by exposing the mind to Christ-exalting truth. That is, he must lead us to hear the gospel, to read the Bible, to study Christ-exalting writings of great, spiritual men, and to meditate on the perfections of Christ”

“Listen to rich expositions of the “gospel of the glory of Christ.” Read your Bible from cover to cover always in search of the revelation of the glory of Christ. Read and ponder the Bible-saturated, Christ-exalting writings of great, spiritual men and women. And form the habit of meditating on the perfections of Christ. And in it all pray, pray, pray that the Holy Spirit will renew your mind, that you may desire and approve the will of God, so that all of life will become worship to the glory of Christ.”

It’s hard to remove my thoughts from wordly things when I am bombarded with messages of the world daily. I pray with the Lord’s help I will be able to filter out these messages and even cut down on mediums where I receive them so willingly (ie Twitter, Facebook).